The School of Information Management and Systems at the University of California at Berkeley concluded that the world generates up to two (2) exabytes(13) of information per year and that, “This world's total yearly production of information amounts to about 250 megabytes for each man, woman, and child on earth. It is clear that we are all drowning in a sea of information. The challenge is to learn to swim in that sea rather than drown in it. Better understanding and better tools are desperately needed if we are to take full advantage of the ever-increasing supply of information.”
An individual's enjoyment of and success in life is to a large extent determined by his or her skills and knowledge to handle and learn the information that is presented to them each day. A person's skill set and knowledge base are often viewed as assets of great value and importance to learn new information. The time an individual spends on self improvement and education in his or her lifetime is ever increasing. To this end many people continually search for new and more efficient ways of adding to their skill set and knowledge base. In addition, a person's ability to effectively improve his or herself, through for example, adding to his or her skill set or knowledge base, in part, determines that person's level of confidence and disposition.
An individual's skills and knowledge influence the ability of that person to succeed in school, to practice a career of his or her choice, to succeed in the practice of a given career and his or her ability to switch careers as he or she desires. Modern economies are to a large extent based on skills and knowledge and therefore it is not surprising that an individual's success is, in part, determined by the set of skills and knowledge that the individual can offer to a potential employer or client. Thus, in hopes of achieving financial success and the enjoyment of one's career, people often expend large amounts of energy and money on improving their knowledge base and skills set.
In addition, a person's skills set and knowledge base influence that person's ability to enjoy life in general. For example, these assets can influence a person's ability to travel and live in different countries, to communicate with people of various backgrounds, to enjoy art and literature from various parts of the world and to simply understand the world around them.
Thus, a person's skill set and knowledge base, as well as his or her ability to add to these two assets, impact on his or her life in many ways. This includes but is not limited to his or her financial success, confidence, and enjoyment of life in general.
With the emergence of the Internet and digital media, there is a wealth of knowledge and information available to a great number of people who have access to a computing device. However, the information available on the Internet is often dispersed over many web sites. Similarly, the information on digital media may be dispersed over a great number of files. Furthermore, the sheer amount of new information available, about 250 Megabytes per year, may be so daunting as to discourage individuals from attempting to learn it and turn it into their own skills or knowledge. Moreover, even if an individual locates relevant information, organizes it, and is determined to learn it, he or she may still have difficulty learning or applying it in an effective manner.
Thus, there is a need for a system and method that can efficiently and effectively aid individuals in reducing the amount of information presented, educating and improving themselves through learning information that they can turn into skills and knowledge faster and easier than traditional (passive) methods.